Controlled traffic farming is generating interest around the world, as seen here in this photo of an Australian spray rig sticking to established traffic zones.  PHOTO: WESTERN AUSTRALIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD

The benefits of a controlled traffic crop

Confining equipment traffic could pay production dividends

Ten years ago Adam Gurr was surfing the Internet one evening and came across an idea that would change the way he operates — controlled traffic farming. Just as the name sounds, it’s a farming system built around permanent wheel tracks in each field; the crop zones and traffic lanes are permanently separated. It leaves

An example of a cover crop mixture in the U.S. where some producers are using cocktails of 20 or more species. However, the U of M’s Yvonne Lawley warns about brassicas such as tillage radish, which might contribute to diseases such as clubroot in canola. 

Season too short for cover crops? Maybe not

They could have a fit for Western Canada, but they require 
just as much planning as any other crop choice


Open just about any U.S. farming publication and you won’t read for long before seeing the words “cover crop.” There’s been an explosion of interest in the practice of sowing a cheap mixture of seed to cover the soil after harvest, and then seeding directly into it the following year. The benefits go beyond soil


Farmers had mixed results when planting into green cover crops in 2016.

Cover crops driving planting and tillage innovation

Ontario farmers are on the cutting edge of adopting this technique in Canada

Cover crops continue to be one of the most discussed topics in Ontario crop farming. However the discussion has moved beyond the existence of the soil-health-building practice, to the fine details of how to manage such a complex biological system. There were several sessions at the recent Southwest Ag Conference (SWAC) in Ridgetown dedicated to

Crop management decisions balance agronomics, economics

Crop management decisions balance agronomics, economics

Knowing your numbers is the foundation of good decision-making on your farm

What’s it cost to grow a bushel of wheat, canola, soybeans or corn on your operation? If you can’t answer that question, it’s going to be hard to make informed decisions about how to manage your fields. That’s because production, marketing and management starts with planning, and calculating the cost of production (COP) is the


An example of rill erosion which occurs when run-off water forms small channels while running down bare soil.

More emphasis should be placed on soil health, MCDA speaker says

Cover crops, reduced tillage, crop and livestock diversity can all help reduce watershed challenges

We’ve all had those moments when we realize what we do most of the time matters more than what we attempt once in a while. One of those light bulbs snapped on for Ryan Canart while sitting at a soil health conference in Alberta awhile back. The district manager for the Upper Assiniboine River Conservation

Agronomy will be key to growing soybean acreage

As the crop becomes a major feature of Manitoba fields, there will also be more challenges popping up for growers

If soybean acres continue to rise as expected, farmers are going to have to be vigilant, Dennis Lange said. “Rotation, rotation, rotation (is) very important,” he said. In the early years farmers didn’t see a yield reduction seeding soybeans on soybean stubble. But crop insurance data shows between 2008 and 2012 planting back-to-back soybeans resulted


Unmanned Aerial Vehicles offer great promise, but aren’t going to replace old-fashioned scouting just yet.

Boots on the ground must support scouting technology

The existing technology can detect variation in a field, but not why that variation exists

There’s no shortage of technology available to help researchers, agronomists, and farmers scout their fields. From satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) to smartphone apps, there are plenty of tools out there. Just don’t expect them to replace boots on the ground any time soon. The limitation of current remote-sensing technology, such

A multi-species cover crop can mimic how soil was initially created, with a collection of root exudates from each individual species.

Cover cropping improves land and bank balance

Ontario farmer Blake Vince has harnessed the power of cover crops on his operation

Despite not having cattle on his operation, Blake Vince says he is still a livestock farmer. “Where my livestock are is below my feet and sadly we forget that. The soil is alive, it is a collection of living organisms,” Vince, a Canadian Nuffield Scholar and fifth-generation Ontario farmer, said during a presentation at the


The growth chamber system can reproduce past weather patterns, down to exact daily fluctuations.

Growth chamber system ‘test drives’ new varieties

Cameras can detect and quantify signals produced by plants

Following the lead of automakers who torture test their cars on special tracks that simulate real driving conditions, researchers at Michigan State University have developed a system to test drive new plant varieties before they reach the field. Called DEPI — Dynamic Environmental Photosynthetic Imaging — the system uses sensors, cameras and software to reproduce

CropLife Canada’s Ted Menzies says a recent report the group commissioned quantifies the value of biotechnology and crop protection products.

CropLife report highlights importance of crop protection and biotechnology

The group says it’s ready to make the case for the value and economic contribution 
of the industry’s technology to the country

CropLife Canada wants to talk about the value of crop protection products and plant biotechnology. To this end it’s commissioned a report examining how much the industry contributes to the country by the consultancy RIAS. Ted Menzies, president of CropLife, says his organization is looking for venues and opportunities to discuss the information contained in